- Magnetic fields occur naturally in materials with a certain composition and can also be seen in electrical currents. The strength of a magnetic field is called its magnitude.
- Ferromagnetism is the process by which certain materials become magnets or have a tendency to be attracted by magnets. Ferromagnetic compounds include iron, cobalt, magnetite, and ferrite. The most common magnets use magnetite.
- Magnetic attraction occurs because of particle alignment. If most particles tend to align in a certain direction, the compound becomes a magnet. Other substances have a high tendency to be magnetized, such as iron.
- Electricity also generates a magnetic field, which gains potential when the medium it travels through is coiled. Examples of electromagnetism can be seen in many simple motors.
- Magnets are used in a variety of applications including cassette tapes, hard disks and bank cards. The reason for this is because, by altering the magnetic field of a particular section of material, you can store information on the material itself using binary code.
